*Tetra Pak has announced the introduction of the Tetra Top packaging solution for high-acid ambient distribution (HAAD) of still drinks. * Tetra Top for HAAD is a flexible, attractive and cost-effective packaging solution that enables manufacturers to produce, distribute and sell high-acid still drinks* such as ice tea, fruit drinks and sports drinks without using the chilled chain. The ambient still drinks market stands at 100 billion litres and is growing, providing producers with many new growth opportunities. The Tetra Top packaging family answers the needs of producers who want a package with attitude that maximises their brand. Tetra Top for HAAD now brings these benefits to the ambient still drinks market, enabling the packaging, transport and storage of ambient still drinks for up to six months without the need for preservatives. A preferred option In consumer studies conducted by AC Nielsen and Ipsos in several different types of markets, including Sweden, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia, Tetra Top is preferred over plastic bottles. “The market is looking for differentiating, cost-efficient, environmentally friendly packages for ambient still drinks that satisfy the needs of at-home and on-the-go consumption," said Anders Gustafsson, Product Director for Tetra Top. "Tetra Top for HAAD fulfils these needs.” There are several key environmental benefits with Tetra Top for HAAD. The main component is paperboard, a renewable and recyclable resource, which can be folded flat for recycling. Tetra Top for HAAD is produced on an upgraded version of the flexible, two-line TT/3 filling machine, which produces up to 9,000 packages an hour. TT/3 for HAAD includes improved package sterilisation, hygiene chamber disinfection and a clean air system (HEPA). It also uses less production floor space (up to 35%) than plastic lines. Tetra Top for HAAD is available in a variety of shapes and sizes from 200ml to 1000ml. High acid still drinks have a maximum ph value of <4.2 and a maximum juice content of up to 20%. ** <1> View our <1>, as featured on the **Discovery Channel's 'How Do They Do It?' television series. <1>: http://av.foodbev.com/absolutevc/?v=61

Highland Spring has teamed up with Nintendo and Andy Murray to launch a new on-pack promotion. Launching in May 2008, consumers will have the chance to win Nintendo Wii games consoles, as well as the opportunity to join Andy Murray for a Nintendo Wii tennis match at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton in the UK. To enter the free prize draw, consumers can register via text message or on the dedicated competition website at www.gowiild.co.uk. This exclusive promotion will feature on the majority of Highland Spring’s retail packs from May 2008. Highland Spring Marketing Director Sally Stanley said: “Highland Spring is committed to supporting British tennis and reinforcing the health benefits of staying hydrated during sport. In the run up to Wimbledon, our Go Wiild with Andy Murray sales promotion is a fantastic way of communicating this.”

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has called for a European Union ban on six artificial food and beverage colourings linked with hyperactivity in children by a recent academic study. When the study was published in September last year, the FSA initially advised parents of hyperactive children to avoid giving them food or drink containing any of the colourants. The agency also forwarded the study findings for further consideration by the EU’s European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In April, EFSA’s special review panel on food and beverage additives conceded that the study provided “limited evidence” that the additives “had a small effect on the activity and attention of some children.” However, the European experts – who are already carrying out a general review of additives – said the UK study was not conclusive enough to justify an immediate change in EU regulations. Now the FSA, which was criticised for not taking firmer action in September, is pushing for manufacturers to phase out the “suspect” colourants on a voluntary basis by next year, in advance of a total ban by the EU. * Dame Deirdre Hutton* During an FSA Board meeting in London on Thursday (April 10), Chairwoman Dame Deirdre Hutton said: "The evidence we have suggests it would be sensible for these to be taken out of food. We would like to see the use of colours phased out over a period. That does require mandatory action by the EU." Board members said a voluntary phasing-out was necessary because it could take years for any EU legislation to come into effect. In the FSA-commissioned study at Southampton University in England, 137 children aged three years and 130 children aged from eight to nine years were given a juice drink containing the common preservative sodium benzoate and a combination of colourants: Sunset yellow (E110), Quinoline yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Allura red (E129), Tartrazine (E102) and Ponceau 4R (E124). The Southampton researchers reported that both groups of children showed signs of hyperactivity after consuming the drink with additives, but not after consuming a placebo drink. Sodium benzoate and one or more of the six colourants are used in some soft drinks as well as many food products. But although the FSA believes all the colourants should be eliminated, it has not called for a similar ban on sodium benzoate. ** British Soft Drinks Association **The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) commented: “Soft drinks manufacturers have for some time been actively responding to the public’s increasing desire for more ‘natural’ ingredients. A wide variety of beverages are now available to meet this need, and innovation in this area is ongoing. “A very small minority of soft drinks manufactured in the UK include the colours highlighted in the Southampton University study. Reformulation is continuing, and we are committed to finding alternatives to these colours where possible. “We look forward to working with the FSA and other industry bodies to ensure that the public can continue to choose from a wide range of products and enjoy them with confidence.”

More than 2,000 food and beverage outlets across the US have joined the Tap Project to help UNICEF provide clean water to children around the world. The grassroots initiative - which invites individuals to donate US$1, or more, for the tap water they normally get for free at participating restaurants - was recently launched by UNICEF Ambassadors Lucy Liu and Marcus Samuelsson at an event hosted by Esquire Magazine in New York. "This week tap water is the toast of New York City and almost two dozen other cities as Americans raise their glasses to help save children's lives," said Lucy Liu. Fresh from a trip to Cote d'Ivoire to see first hand the threat to child survival caused by the lack of access to clean drinking water, Lucy said a little can go a long way to provide children with what they need to survive. Thousands of New Yorkers and 300 restaurants took part in the first Tap Project on 22 March 2007, raising over $100,000. This year, the US Fund for UNICEF is engaging communities by mobilising volunteers nationwide with the goal of raising awareness of the Tap Project and recruiting restaurants to participate in the initiative. So far, more than 1,900 volunteers have signed up to recruit restaurants and promote the Tap Project. To date, more than 2,000 restaurants in 39 states have signed on to participate during World Water Week, with a goal to raise US$1 million. More than one billion people do not have access to clean water or adequate sanitation and one in five of them are children. Eighty percent of all illness and infant mortality is due to waterborne disease. Lack of clean water is the second largest killer of children under five. UNICEF works in more than 90 countries around the world to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, and to promote safe hygiene practices. Over the past 15 years, more than a billion people gained access to improved drinking water and sanitation facilities. UNICEF's goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation by 2015.

Marketing Director David Hutchinson announced Costa’s plan to source all of its coffee from certified, sustainably managed farms by 2010 at the company’s national brand conference in Birmingham, UK, on Tuesday 8 April. From September 2008 at least 30% of the coffee used in Costa’s unique Mocha Italia coffee blend, which forms the base of its coffee drinks, will come from certified sources, equal to about 1000 tonnes of green coffee over the course of a year. And while UK consumers will be among the first to see the difference in store the change will have an international impact across Costa’s 1000 stores worldwide. The most recent store opened in Moscow, Russia, at the end of March 2008. David Hutchinson said: “Costa is at the beginning of a journey towards greater sustainability in its business. We know it will take time to convert our supply base to certified sustainable sources but we believe it’s an investment that is right for our business, right for the coffee industry as a whole and we believe it’s a journey our customers will want to be part of.” Rainforest Alliance President Tensie Whelan added: “We are delighted to work with Costa Coffee to bring sustainably sourced coffee to the UK’s leading high street coffee chain and to more coffee growing communities globally. Costa’s decision is demonstration of their commitment to not just quality coffee but also the quality of life of coffee communities.”

Sinalco is already distributed by franchisees in Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. When Dana also begins rolling out the brand this summer, Sinalco will be available in all countries bordering the Adriatic Sea. Dana MD Marko Hren, and Mongi Goundi, MD of Sinalco International, are confident that the carbonated drink with its signature bottle and famous red dot trademark will be well received by Slovenians. Dana has been a key player in the Slovenian beverage industry since the 1940s and leads the mineral water category with 2007 sales of more 20 million litres. The Slovenian market for carbonated beverages is still growing, with total sales reaching almost 88 million litres last year. Dana will begin rolling out the bestselling flavours Sinalco Cola and Sinalco Orange in July, followed in due course by other flavours. The drinks will be packaged in 1.5-litre and 500ml PET bottles.

*Danone Waters France has recently launched a publicity campaign for the popular French water Badoit which tells a tale of friendship, free expression and good spirits. * The premium sparkling water is being marketed as something so light and bubbly that a group of friends sharing the beverage in a TV advertisement are lifted from the ground into a horizontal dance against the walls of a house. The storyline focuses on key elements relating to the success of Badoit water such as the water’s traditional place at the table for fine dining, its sought after properties as a light digestive aid and refreshing effervescent taste. Badoit has created a youthful, fun and vibrant feel to the campaign in tune with its target consumer group of young, affluent adults. The screen marketing campaign has been created with support from the Paris branch of BETC Euro RSCG, the world’s fifth largest advertising agency. The brand owners chose talented young people like New York filmmaker Michele Civetta to direct the ad and popular French singer and comedienne Adrienne Pauly to provide the soundtrack. The TV ad coincides with an on pack “Have fun with Badoit“ promotion which offers customers the chance to win one of 20 weekend breaks at villas in tourist locations in France so that they can organise their own Badoit style get-togethers.

The Salt and Sugar Reduction Symposium 2008 took place on 31 March – 1 April in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The symposium, organised by CMPi, attracted around 120 delegates from 22 countries, who came to learn about the latest developments in food reformulation to reduce or replace sugar and salt. Obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century, while cardiovascular disease remains the biggest cause of death in both the developed and developing world – killing around 12.7 million people each year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the prevalence of obesity has tripled in many European countries since the 1980s, and the number of those affected continues to rise at an alarming rate. Raised blood pressure, WHO reports, is the biggest single cause of cardiovascular disease and the current high intake of salt is the major determinant of this. Danisco Sweeteners Dairy Application Manager Mette Sveje commented: “Consumers are more aware of their daily total sugar consumption than their daily fat consumption, and there is growing concern about the amounts and types of sugars consumed.” However, while taste and wellbeing are increasingly important to the average consumer, taste remains key and the conference’s speakers detailed various methods facilitating the achievement of both, without compromise. The last decade has seen the number of products launched in Europe with a ‘low’ or ‘reduced’ sugar position far exceed those labelled ‘all natural’, demonstrating growing consumer interests, and this trend can be expected to continue. But salt and sugar remain key elements of our diets, and delegates heard just how important communication with the consumer is to facilitate healthy purchases, and how messages must be conveyed in a way that the consumer will understand.

Appletiser has launched a new product to its UK portfolio. Fruitiser is introduced as 'flirtatious fun in a bottle' and is available in three flavours: Pomegranate & Raspberry, Mango & Mandarin, and Apple & Dragonfruit. Free from preservatives, colourants and no added sugar, Fruitiser is an alternative to alcohol. Each bottle contains 100% fruit juice with a touch of sparkle, and officially counts as 'one of your 5-a-day', according to Appletiser. “Like Appletiser and Peartiser, the Fruitiser range will be a stylish, adult alternative to alcohol, but will instead target a younger audience of women between the ages of 18-30," said Sally Marshall, Marketing Manager for the Appletiser brand portfolio. Fruitiser is served up in a stylishly striking glass bottle in 275ml (MSSP 79p) and 750ml (MSSP £2.15) sizes, and is available from leading supermarket chains.

“The Mayan Mystica campaign is set to be huge," said Anna Ford, Magnum brand manager. "Not only do we have an amazingly indulgent TV advert, but we also have eye-catching posters on billboards all around the UK. "This combination is sure to drive consumers into store seeking Mayan Mystica. Retailers need to ensure that they stock up to meet the demand that this campaign will create for not only Mayan Mystica, but also the entire Magnum range.” According to TalkingRetail.com, New Magnum Mayan Mystica is priced at £1.25 (RRP) for singles and £2.79 (RRP) for a 3x110ml multipack, and will build on the success of 2007’s number one ice cream launch, Magnum Ecuador Dark.

Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) is introducing a special vintage Coca-Cola bottle called the 1906 'Diamond Label' in stores across the US. The introduction of this limited edition bottle follows CCNA’s successful 2007 release of the 1899 'Hutchinson' bottle, which was quickly snatched up by Coca-Cola lovers and collectors alike. “These one-of-a-kind bottles help people celebrate their special relationship with Coca-Cola that goes beyond its great taste,” said CCNA Sparkling Beverages President and General Manager Hendrik Steckhan. “This package invites consumers to take another journey in time – back to 1906, when the deliciously uplifting product they love was packaged in an equally appealing predecessor of today’s iconic contour glass bottle.” Before the introduction of the curvy Coca-Cola contour bottle in 1916, Coke was sold in straight-sided bottles. Similar to the bottles used for other beverages, they were distinguished as Coca-Cola bottles from 1900 to 1916 by their diamond-shaped paper labels. * Registered as trademark* In fact, the diamond paper label itself was registered as a trademark in 1907. The diamond labels included either the place of origin, 'Atlanta, GA,' or the signature of Asa Candler, who was then President of The Coca-Cola Company. Most of the labels have vanished from these early bottles over the years, and examples still bearing their original labels are now greatly prized by collectors. The 8.5oz (251ml) reproduction 1906 Diamond Label bottles now appearing on US store shelves capture the essence of the original design. The limited edition bottles are available in four-packs that feature the early 20th century Coca-Cola Spencerian script logo and Diamond Label design elements. Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1894 by Joseph Biedenharn, a candy store owner in Vicksburg, Mississippi, who was impressed by the growing demand for Coke at his store’s soda fountain. Biedenharn began selling the soft drink in a common glass bottle called a Hutchinson, named after its designer. Various straight-sided bottles were used until 1916, when Coca-Cola bottlers adopted the distinctive contoured shape that is still in use today.

*His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has agreed to extend his Presidency of WaterAid for a further five-year period. * The Prince has been President since 1991 and has done a great deal over the years to support the charity's cause. In November last year, His Royal Highness took time out from the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Uganda to visit the work of WaterAid and partners in the Kawempe slums. Visiting a water point and associated small kiosk shop, he was fascinated to hear how the sale of local produce was helping to sustain the supply of safe water to the slum community. Commenting on the Prince's renewed commitment, Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid, said: "The Prince of Wales has been a constant supporter of WaterAid and we are delighted that he has agreed to continue his association. "His deep-seated commitment to WaterAid is demonstrated by his attention to detail, such as wearing a WaterAid badge when visiting our work in Uganda last year. I look forward to continuing working with the Prince to deliver safe water and sanitation to those most in need over the next five years."